THE PORT AUTHORITY OF NY & NJ

Press Release Article

ONE YEAR AFTER ASSESSMENT, PORT AUTHORITY REPORTS SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS ON PUBLIC PROJECTS AT WTC SITE

Date: Jun 22, 2009Press Release Number: 76-2009

One year after the Port Authority launched a major reassessment of the World Trade Center rebuilding, the agency reported significant construction progress on the public projects throughout the site, including: the erection of 9/11 Memorial steel to form its two signature pools; pouring enough Memorial concrete to pave 100 miles of New York City sidewalks; bringing One World Trade Center up five stories to ground level and erecting steel another seven stories above ground; installing the main arches that will form the Transportation Hub's central artery connecting commuters from the World Trade Center to the World Financial Center; and beginning the foundation for the Vehicle Security Center.

"Before and after" images of the site's public projects taken in June 2008 and June 2009 can be found on the Port Authority's World Trade Center Web site - www.wtcprogress.com.

Port Authority Chairman Anthony R. Coscia said, "In fall 2006, after five years of little progress in the rebuilding effort, the Port Authority stepped up and agreed to take on the extraordinary commitment to build the Memorial, Transportation Hub and other public projects at the World Trade Center site. Since that time, we've made enormous construction progress and committed billions of dollars to the rebuilding program. We know many challenges lie ahead, and we'll continue to work through them to get this job done."

Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward said, "The public side of the World Trade Center site is clearly moving forward. Last year's assessment was an important turning point, but much more work lies ahead. We must continue pushing aggressively until every project is complete."

Last June, in an effort to accelerate progress on the site, New York Governor David Paterson called on the Port Authority for a top-to-bottom assessment to find ways to resolve critical rebuilding issues and get the site's construction moving forward.

Since that time, the Port Authority has achieved these construction milestones:

National September 11 Memorial & Museum

Pouring approximately 20,000 cubic yards of concrete, the equivalent of about 100 miles of New York City sidewalks.

Installing approximately 65 percent of the steel, which forms both of the signature pools.

Installing 35,000 linear feet of conduit for the electrical service - a total length of six miles.

One World Trade Center

Poured more than 22,000 cubic yards of concrete - the equivalent of more than 100 miles of New York City sidewalks - including nearly 13,000 cubic yards that is close to bringing the tower foundation to grade.

Installed approximately 700 tons of steel for the tower's substructure, equivalent to the weight of 2½ Statues of Liberty.

Built the tower's core to 200 feet high - the height of a seven-story building.

World Trade Center Transportation Hub

Installed 47 structural arches for the East-West Connector, which will link the Hub to the World Financial Center.

Excavated more than 2,000 cubic yards of material for the West Street tunnel portion of the East-West Connector, allowing construction workers to walk halfway under West Street.

Excavated more than 250,000 cubic yards of material under the No. 1 subway box for Towers 2, 3 and 4.

Completed the design for the top-down underpinning.

Vehicle Security Center

Installed six of 28 concrete panels for the security center's foundation.

Poured 1,000 cubic yards of concrete and installed 150 tons of steel as part of the foundation work.

In addition to construction milestones over the past year, the Port Authority also has undertaken initiatives to address community concerns by improving the site's appearance, making it easier for pedestrians to navigate their way around the site and offering new, more transparent Web services through a new website: www.wtcprogress.com. These include:

Forming an Office of Program Logistics to deal with community issues on a daily basis.

Assigning staff to key, high-traffic intersections around the site to assist pedestrians crossing Church Street.

Wrapping of the construction fence around the site with images of the work that's taken place on the site and renderings of what the rebuilt site will look like.

Installing wood flooring and paneling along the Liberty Street corridor and covering the paneling with clean, informative images of local sites of interest.

CONTACT: The Port Authority of New York and New JerseyCandace McAdams or Steve Coleman, 212 435-7777The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates many of the busiest and most important transportation links in the region. They include John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia, Stewart International and Teterboro airports; AirTrain JFK and AirTrain Newark; the George Washington Bridge and Bus Station; the Lincoln and Holland tunnels; the three bridges between Staten Island and New Jersey; the PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) rapid-transit system; Port Newark; the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal; the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island; the Port Authority Auto Marine Terminal; the Brooklyn Piers/Red Hook Container Terminal; the Greenville Yard-Port Authority Marine Terminal; and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan. The agency also owns the 16-acre World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan and is a partner in the Access to the Region's Core tunnel project.